The Genius Scientist and the God of Evil
by drillmaster
Summary: When Washu Hakubi discovers that Darkseid has unleashed the Anti-Life Equation, what will she do? How will she work alongside Oracle? *This will initially start out as a Tenchi Universe/ Final Crisis crossover until it slowly evolves into a Grant Morrison Batman and Robin crossover*
1. No Need for Omega

Ch. 1: Need For Omega

It was a typical day in Okayama, Japan. The sun was shining, the grass was green. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Except for the small fact that the sky was red.

Inside the Masaki residence in the heart of rural Okayama, a lone figure stirred in her laboratory. She had giant pink hair and looked only about twelve years old. Her name? Washu Hakubi. Her claim to fame?

"You are the greatest scientific genius in the galaxy Washu!" A small, visually similar doll of the woman yelled to nobody in particular; serving only as a means to inspire confidence and inflate her ego.

"You are the greatest scientific genius in the universe Washu!" A second doll yelled, also serving the same purpose.

Washu had been tirelessly working in her lab for what seemed to have been days. The phenomenon of red skies was not completely unknown to her. Everyone in the scientific community knew what they meant.

"Aw, thanks you two! You really know how to cheer a genius up! I just wish I could find some kind of news story on this planet that could explain this..." Washu muttered to herself before continuing her research.

Behind her, a door appeared. A young girl with blue hair appeared in the doorway with a tray of food in hand.

"Miss Washu! Miss Washu! Can I come in?"

Washu stopped looking on her computer and swiveled around to se the visitor. "Ah Sasami! Come on in kiddo!"

"I brought you some lunch...you've missed so many meals already Miss Washu. We were starting to get worried," Sasami told her.

The pink haired scientist shrugged. "What can I say Sasami, the red skies really have me worried. Are you familiar with what happens when the skies burn red?"

Sasami shook her head. "No I don't Miss Washu. The skies have never been red on the Planet Jurai before!"

"That makes sense; red skies typically mean that a cataclysmic event on a cosmic scale is about to occur. Think of it as the universe bleeding from a wound...you following along okay?" Washu explained, pulling up images of the unnatural event occurring outside.

After a few seconds of thinking about it, Sasami shook her head. "I'm not sure. Are you saying something terrible happened here on Earth?"

"Either here on Earth or somewhere that affects this planet. The last time I encountered this phenomenon was back when this guy named Krona attempted to reshape the galaxy in his image...that was way back, before even the Green Lantern Corps. were formed. The Galaxy Police was pretty new itself...ah the good times when my research wasn't criticized for being hazardous to the galaxy," Washu reminisced, seemingly to herself just as much as to Sasami.

Sensing that she was not going to get Washu to come upstairs, Sasami put the tray of food on the floor beside the still babbling Washu. "Well I hope you find what you are looking for Miss Washu! We are going to watch our Earth soap opera now with Tenchi since he just got back from school. Please let us know if you find out anything!" Sasami said, waving to the scientist.

"...of course, he caused the creation of the Antimatter universe, and technically subspace itself. Oh well. It's always useful to look into, right Sasami?" Washu looked around, not realizing that she was now alone in the laboratory. She sighed and dejectedly slumped back into her seat. "Well, she lasted longer than I was expecting."

The scientist returned to her database and continued to scan every local headline from every available online newspaper. After some time, the computer rested on one most particular story.

"Hmm? What does this one say...'oddly dressed man found dead by notable Inspector Dan Turpin...' Okay, I'll bite. Let's pull up an image of our oddly dressed man!"

In an instant, a man with orange blonde hair who was wearing a red jumpsuit filled the screen. Washu looked at the image and thought about where she had seen his face before.

"Not much of a looker...but why do I sense that I've seen him before? I've met so many people before being sealed away in that cave...God I'm so happy I'm out and a..." Washu started before she paused and stared intently at the image.

"Whaaaa?! That's Orion, the New God of War! Even I have never gone out my way to experiment with New Genesis or Apokolips! Why is a New God dead on this planet?!" Washu began to type furiously on her machine.

Story after story was pulled up, mostly by a reporter named Lois Lane or Clark Kent, about how the famed American hero Superman and his Justice League went toe to toe against Darkseid, Orion's father and the New God of Evil. Washu was in shock of how such a small planet was the battleground for such cosmic events.

"This can't be serious...I thought those masked heroes were jokes. I mean, the only one I have ever met was that Mr. Unknown guy and he was kind of pathetic compared to my genius...I need to research all of this immediately!"

But just then, a most curious oddity popped up on the screen. It appeared to be an e-mail that was opening itself. Washu immediately noticed how the e-mail had an "Omega" symbol embedded in it: the infamous calling card of Darkseid.

"This...this is not good! I need to cut my network!" Washu furiously started typing before the e-mail could finish opening itself completely. Finally, the screen went blank and the lab went dark.

Washu started to pant and wipes sweat off of her brow. "I have no idea what that was, but I'm glad I didn't stay to find out. First rule of the Academy: do NOT interfere with New Gods."

An alarm started blaring in the laboratory. A computerized voice filled the empty space. "Attention, hostile frequencies detected on all airwaves."

"What?!" Washu barked. "I cut it off!" She pulled up her computer. "Let's see if that message was sent through the Unternet as well..."

After trying to find an open server that did not contain any malicious messages, Washu finally managed to enter a deep sublayer of the Internet. Very few people even knew it existed and even fewer knew how to access it: the Unternet. A single message was posted. The avatar was that of a silver woman with a username called "Oracle."

"Attention, if you are reading this be aware that the Internet has been shut down for a reason. Evil Gods have sent something called 'The Anti-Life Equation' and have used our entire communications network as a weapon designed to destroy our free will. It is a mathematical proof that Darkseid, the God of Evil, is the rightful ruler of all existence. Avoid any and all technology! Please post your coordinates and Justice League personnel will arrive to vacate you to a safer place," Washu read to herself.

The scientist pondered for but a moment and considered the situation. "This is not good...not good at all. I have to get Tenchi and everyone out of here. I..." Washu stopped her pacing, remembering Sasami's words. "THE SOAP OPERA!"

Washu created ear plugs for herself and ran to the door. "I need to see it...see what I'm up against...please be okay, please be okay."

Washu quietly peeked out of the door and her greatest fears were answered: a giant "Omega" symbol was on the television and Ryoko, Sasami, Ayeka, Nobuyuki, and Tenchi were all blindly watching it. Washu locked her door and killed the sunspace connection between her lab and the Masaki house.

"No...I'm too late. I need to sneak out of here...figure out how to fight this..." Washu said before realization dawned upon her. "Mihoshi and Kiyone...there is still a chance that they are unaffected...same with Katsuhito! I need to do everything I can before I even think about reaching out to that Oracle person. Think Washu..."

"You can do it Washu!" The first doll popped out.

"You are the greatest!" The second agreed.

Washu ignored the comment for now. She had failed her family...how was she going to save them from Anti-Life itself?


	2. No Need for Anti-Life

Ch 2: No Need for Anti-Life

The world had descended into chaos and the greatest scientist in the universe was helpless to stop it.

Washu hoped that she would not be alone in this fight. There was only one way to be sure...

*TGSTGE*

"Mihoshi! You unplugged our clock last night! We probably overslept!" A green haired woman yelled to a sleeping blonde haired woman.

Across Okayama to a more densely populated area, Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu had no idea of the horrors of the outside world. The two ladies were First Class detectives in the Galaxy Police and were presently assigned to patrol the Solar System. Though they got the position due to their relationship with Tenchi, Kiyone forced Mihoshi to take responsibility and rent their own apartment.

They had no idea how fortuitous they were that they did that.

"Mihoshi, get up! The radio is broken so I have no idea how bad traffic is going to be today! We need to get rent by the end of the week and we will never..." Kiyone started to yell before she stopped and sighed. "This is getting me nowhere. MIHOSHI!"

Jolting up, the frazzled blonde haired woman looked around the room. "Wha...what's going on? Who... oh, it's just you Kiyone! I thought there was trouble or something!"

Kiyone slapped her head and groaned. "Mihoshi, we have to get to work today. I know the GXP has us on a longer shift while the Red Sky Crisis is being investigated, but we still have responsibilities on Earth. You got it?"

"But Kiyoneeeee, I'm still tired!" Mihoshi whined.

"Get up and get dressed or else we won't have enough money for karaoke!" Kiyone put her foot down.

"But Kiyoneeeee..."

"NOW!"

Just then, a door in the wall appeared. Kiyone looked at it and shrugged. "Mihoshi, get decent! We've got company."

Washu peered her head out of the door. She seemed nervous and looked visibly relieved when she laid eyes on the duo. She ran inside and started typing away on her keyboard.

"Good! You two haven't been exposed, thank god!" Washu exclaimed, examining the room.

Kiyone, baffled by the sudden intrusion, walked up to the pink haired visitor. "Washu, what are you doing here? We have work in a few hours and..."

"I'm going to stop you right there Makibi. You are not going to work. You can't even leave the planet to go to your other job if you wanted."

"What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense!" Kiyone yelled.

Washu regarded the apartment. There appeared to be no working technology that could play the Anti-Life Equation nor were their window blinds opened.

"Well for starters, it's about three in the afternoon. I know you guys take the night shift sometimes, so I'm not sure if you are already late or not. However, while you both have been napping, the planet Earth just lost all of its free will to tyrannical Gods," Washu explained, taking no pleasure from the explanation.

Kiyone just stood still. "Hold on, what?!"

"How familiar are you with the New Gods?" Washu asked. "Let's walk and talk. We need to get out of here, now!"

Kiyone scrambled to rush out of there while Mihoshi yawned lazily. "Well, I know that New Genesis and Apokolips are typically out of bounds for the GXP. What's going on here? MIHOSHI, come on!"

"Where are we going Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked as her partner pulled her into the door.

"Washu's lab...I guess."

The two made it through the door. The lab was empty save for an elderly gentleman who was sitting down, waiting for the ladies to return.

"Thank you for waiting Lord Katsuhito and thank you for cooperating you two. So, I assume you all have questions," Washu told her captive audience.

"I must confess, I am quite confused as to what is going on here. You opened one of your doors in the shrine and dragged me here. What is the meaning of this Washu?" Katsuhito asked.

"Yeah! Washu did the same thing to us!" Mihoshi nodded.

"I'm very aware what I did and I'm sorry for my forceful nature," Washu conceded.

"That's a first," Kiyone muttered.

"What was that Kiyone dear?" the genius scientist asked sinisterly.

"Nothing," she muttered.

Smiling, Washu pulled up an image of a muscular, rock faced being. He appeared to be locked in combat with a black haired man in a red cape and blue tights. "Okay, pull up a chair, this is going to take awhile, but it is VERY important."

Mihoshi looked around the lab. "Hey, shouldn't we wait for the others then? They shouldn't miss this!"

All of the smugness in Washu's face disappeared and was replaced with a look of disappointment and regret. "They aren't coming Mihoshi," she whispered.

"What?!" Kiyone yelled. "Alright, stop dancing around the subject and start explaining!"

"Fine, but I warn all of you that what I have to say is hard to listen to. On the screen is an image of a New God: Darkseid: Lord of Apokolips and the New God of Evil," she explained, pointing to the rock-like humanoid. "This is him fighting an American hero named Superman."

"Oh, I love Superman! He isn't local like that cool Mr. Unknown guy, but he's famous!" Mihoshi bolted up.

Kiyone's eye twitched. "Mihoshi, this isn't about Superman! Let her finish!"

Bowing with gratitude, Washu continued. "Darkseid has apparently taken an interest in this planet for some years, even before you all arrived and before I was released from the cave. It a little known fact, but Darkseid has always been after something called the Anti-Life Equation...at least he was up until recently."

Katsuhito looked grim. "The red skies..."

"Precisely. Darkseid has started some kind of universal crisis with Earth as Ground Zero. I'm not sure if you two have noticed," Washu pointed to Mihoshi and Kiyone. "But the planet has been cut off from the rest of the galaxy. We can not receive help from the Galaxy Police, the Green Lanterns, or even the Planet Jurai."

"So you are telling us that this Equation thing was used on the planet? How?" Kiyone asked, her mind clearly at work trying to piece everything together.

"Technology," Washu answered. "TV, radio, Internet, GPS...you name it! The Evil Gods hacked into Earth's technology and weaponized it. Katsuhito was at the shrine so he missed it. You two overslept and had no working technology capable of transmitting it!"

"So we survived due to sheer, dumb luck?" Kiyone asked.

Washu nodded. "Tenchi and the others were not so lucky."

"Kiyoneeeee, I'm scared!" Mihoshi sobbed.

"This is no time to panic Miss Mihoshi," Katsuhito told her. "We have to be alert and ready for anything. Well Washu, what can we do?"

Washu typed a little bit on her computer and pulled up Oracle's e-mail. "I am fortunate enough to possess ways around the adverse effects of the Equation. This Oracle person is calling for any unaffected person to come join him (or her). I say we establish contact and work together."

"It could be a trap," Kiyone warned. "Have you done any research on this 'Oracle?'"

"Of course I have! I think that Oracle is with that American group the Justice League or at least grounded near Gotham City, New Jersey."

"Oh!" Mihoshi snapped her fingers. "That means Oracle works for Batman!"

"Mihoshi, if you put anywhere near as much effort into our jobs that you do superheroes, we wouldn't be in a financial hole right now!" Kiyone berated.

"But Kiyone, it seems to be coming in handy right now!" Mihoshi pointed out.

Washu nodded. "It's true. I don't know much about this world of heroes, but we are lucky Mihoshi does. I'm going to establish contact and hope for the best..."

Washu typed away at her computer, hoping that the others would not catch on at how nervous she truly was. This situation seemed to be entirely out of the genius scientist's league...which was why she needed to join an entirely new league of players.

A Justice League.


	3. No Need for Oracle

Ch. 3: No Need for Oracle

The Hall of Justice was cold and sterile. Amidst the collapse of the free world, this was one of the last places inhabited by Earth's heroes that had not succumbed to the Anti-Life Equation. Though certain pieces of technology could be used safely, the few members of the Justice League that occupied it used them sparingly.

Chief amongst the heroes stationed in this sanctuary was a red haired woman in a wheelchair. Her name was Barbra Gordon, but up here she was known by a different moniker: Oracle. Gordon used to go by the name Batgirl, but that career was ended by a maniacal clown with a gun. Gordon was a genius when it came to technology, specifically the Internet. She might have learned to fight from heroes like Black Canary and Batman, but she knew how to use her intellect to her advantage in the fight against crime.

Though she did not approve of the idea of the Unternet, especially since she knew that it was designed by one of her more annoying enemies, the Calculator, she had to admit that it had its uses. Killing the Internet was incredibly hard to do, but at least this way she might give some people the help that they need. In fact, the Hall of Justice was full of refugees that were not unwitting pawns of Darkseid's evil cabal.

Thankfully, she was not completely alone in her rescue attempts. Michael Holt, known to others as Mister Terrific, was one of the three smartest Earthlings on the planet and happened to be assisting her. The two had been joined by Black Canary herself and Green Arrow, two other heroes who were well respected in the Justice League, but they were out on a mission to try to answer a distress signal from one of their own: Black Lightning.

"Barbara, look at this," Holt told the bespectacled former Batgirl. He pointed to a computer monitor that had turned itself on.

Rolling her wheelchair to Mister Terrific, Barbara saw a most interesting sight on the now active screen. "This isn't the Anti-Life Equation...this looks to be some digital...crabs?"

"Have you ever seen this before? It looks like somebody's calling card," he postulated. "I've lost track of the various aquatic based villains around the word."

Barbara took her place at the keyboard and tried to decrypt the dancing crustaceans. "This isn't the M.O. of any criminal I've ever encountered. In fact...this isn't a virus or anything like that. It looks like it is just trying to get our attention!" Barbara turned her head around. "This might be a trap or a potential hacker!"

"It's coming from the Unternet, so it's very likely. We don't really know how many people are even aware of the Unternet yet..." Mister Terrific trailed on.

Oracle was only half listening at this point. She tried to trace the origin of the signal, but was having major difficulties. 'It's like it isn't even coming from this planet...or maybe this...' "Dimension."

"Excuse me?"

"Michael, this isn't originating from this dimension! It might be coming from The Phantom Zone, or a pocket universe!" Barbara explained.

"But look at the screen; the text is in Japanese!"

Oracle readjusted her glasses and reread the monitor. Sure enough, the crabs and disappeared and Japanese characters appeared in their place. Barbara was familiar enough with the language to know that it said "background check complete!"

"A Japanese background check emanating from another dimension?" Barbara muttered.

"I don't get it..." Mister Terrific started before getting cut off.

"Alert: unknown energy source detected!" A disembodied voice warned. "Alert: unknown energy source detected!"

"Could it be Darkseid?" Mister Terrific asked.

Pulling out a pair of fighting sticks, Barbara nodded. "There's a good chance of it."

A door appeared in the center of the room and the two heroes braced themselves. A small pink haired child peered her head out and acknowledged the other occupants of the Hall of Justice.

"Hiya, how do you do? Might I assume correctly that this is where I can find Miss Barbara Gordon aka Oracle?" she asked in English before laying eyes on the wheelchair bound redhead.

Barbara was taken back by this girl's behavior. 'She seems so...unconcerned, yet she knows about me. I can't take my eyes off of her.' "Might I ask who's asking little girl?"

The girl's eyebrow raised and a smile grew on her face. "You may indeed Miss Gordon. My name is Washu: the greatest scientific genius in the galaxy!"

A small doll that looked exactly like her appeared on her left shoulder. "Oh Washu, you are so great!"

"We are in awe of your intellect!" A second doll appeared and added.

The appearance of a crazy pink haired girl who proclaimed to be a scientific genius forced Barbara and Michael to step back. Of all the things they were expecting, that was the last thing they could ever imagine. Still, it was way too early to write her off completely as either a friend or a foe.

"Err...that's all well and good, but how did you get into the Hall of Justice? For that matter, why are you here?" Mister Terrific asked.

Washu examined him. "Curious thing on your face." She pointed to the grey "T" shaped marking on his face. "Let's see what your files say of it...ah, Mister Terrific! Says here you are one of the smartest people on the planet...I can respect that! Your mask is made up of nanites? Fascinating!"

"Thank you?" he replied, surprised and confused at the entire situation.

"As for your question, I am here because of that one's message on the Unternet. Interesting gambit, I have to say. From what I've gathered, usually the people who frequent that section of the net are scumbags," Washu chuckled. "But I'm getting ahead of myself here. As the greatest scientific genius in the galaxy, it occurred to me that someone as high profile as you could need my help!"

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "You know how to stop the Anti-Life equation?"

"At the present moment...not so much," Washu admitted. "But I've got better resources than you in my lab. Speaking of, I managed to save a few people before the Equation hit. Mind if they join us?"

"Do we have a choice, Miss Genius?" Barbara asked, clearly still not trusting her.

"Well, I mean of course you do, but it'd be rude to keep them waiting!" The scientist opened up her door and yelled inside. "Hey, we are clear here! It's safe!"

Washu held the door open so that two other ladies, one blonde and the other green haired, and an elderly gentleman could enter the Hall.

"Oh my gosh, it's the Hall of Justice! Kiyone, it's just like I told you!" the blonde haired one told her companion excitedly.

"That you did Mihoshi, several times in fact." Kiyone sighed. "Don't make it weird for everyone!"

"The ditzy blonde is first class detective Mihoshi and her friend is her partner, first class detective Kiyone. The last member of our party is Katsuhito Masaki, the grandfather of our mutual friend who sadly was exposed to Darkseid's plans," Washu explained, pointing out each member of the party.

Mihoshi went up to Mister Terrific and shook his hand. "Oh my gosh it's so nice to meet you! I've read so much on all of you in Japan!"

"It's nice to meet you too, uh, Mihoshi was it? I have to say, your English is pretty good."

"Oh, Washu made us universal translators! It allows us to understand you all and for you to understand us!"

"Really?" Mister Terrific said, intrigued at the idea. "Interesting concept for a girl of, what, 10?"

The comment caused Mihoshi to laugh. "No silly, she's over 20,000 years old!"

"MIHOSHI!" Kiyone yelled. "You can't go around telling them that!"

"Why not? It's not like they've encountered aliens before. Superman, Green Lantern..."

Kiyone blinked. "I never thought of that..."

"Aliens?" Barbara asked. "Are all of you from off world?"

"Well Kiyone and I are part of the Galaxy Police, Washu is a former teacher at the Galactic Academy, and Tenchi's grandfather used to be the prince to the planet Jurai!"

"Way to sell us out Mihoshi!" Washu scolded, hitting her in the shoulder.

Barbara processed this. She made a mental note to ask John Stewart about this when the entire ordeal was over. "So, why are you here then? Why Earth?"

"I was banished here," Washu said. "Because the Academy deemed me a threat. Pff, what do they know?"

Barbara made another mental note to ask about her status as a 'threat' later on. After all, if Batman taught her anything it was that the victory is in the preparation.

"We are assigned to the Solar System!" Mihoshi smiled. "So, what's Batman really like! Is he around?"

"Actually, nobody has seen Batman since this all began. We think he was kidnapped by the Evil Gods, but we don't know for sure..." Barbara admitted.

"That's terrible! The world needs a Batman!"

"Mihoshi, I think you are getting Washu and Miss Gordon off topic," Katsuhito pointed out.

Mihoshi dejectedly stopped her thoughts about Batman and sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry."

"Now that Mihoshi is finished fangirling, we can discuss the issue at hand. Our household, like much of your planet, has fallen under the sway of the Anti-Life Equation. I've never had any experiences with the New Gods, but I know for a fact that you all have. I'm sure we can use your experience and my resources to think of something," Washu said. She created a translucent energy computer out of nowhere.

This caught the attention of both of the heroes. "How did you create that?" Mister Terrific asked. "Do you utilize reflective lasers?"

"No, I just willed it into existence," Washu said as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"I think what we need is to find out what exactly the Anti-Life Equation is," Katsuhito contributed.

"Before I cut the Internet, I got a glimpse of what it is. It's a mathematical..." Oracle started. "Wait, that was in the post I put out on the Unternet. You should know all of that."

"I think he's referring to what the actual steps of the Equation are. If we knew that, perhaps we could devise a 'Life Equation' that can bring balance to everything," Kiyone added.

"Perhaps...but there is no way of knowing unless we had the Equation in a way that people will not lose their free will," Barbara countered. She stopped and looked around. "Where did your partner go?"

An alarm sounded. Suddenly a disembodied voice cried "Doors unlocked!"

"Doors...Mihoshi what have you done?!" Kiyone screamed.

Mister Terrific ran to a computer terminal and pulled up a love security feed. "We have Justifiers entering the Hall of Justice! Damn it!"

"Justifiers?" Washu asked, panicking.

"People under the influence of the Anti-Life Equation! We have to get out of here!" Barbara yelled.

At that moment, Mihoshi came wandering back into the room. "I'm sorry! I fell and hit the button by accident! I don't know what's going on!"

Kiyone and over and grabbed her collar. "You idiot, you just damned us all!"

The worst fears of the planet have been realized. The Hall of Justice has been breached by Anti-Life. If justice cannot overcome Darkseid, what will?


	4. No Need for Justifiers

Ch. 4: No Need for Justifiers

"If what I've read about this place in my little hacking session is true, we don't have much time before these Justifiers arrive where we are!" Washu fretted.

Kiyone grabbed her gun from her holster and loaded it. "Tell me, are these people criminals or just poor souls who aren't in control of their actions?"

"Anyone can become one Kiyone," Barbara told her. "We believe their helmets are playing the Anti-Life Equation directly into their brains."

"Stunning it is then," the detective nodded, setting her gun's settings appropriately.

"Look, we need to get out of here now! I'll create a doorway to my lab! We'll be safe there!" Washu started furiously typing.

Mister Terrific ran over to her and threw his hands up. "We need to warn the others, like Black Canary and The Ray, to avoid here! Damn it, I wasn't even supposed to BE here for this long...We can't leave until I send out a warning! Besides, it will be safer for you at the Castle with me or the Fortress of Solitude..."

"Stop right there! You have no idea whether my lab is safer than your little Fortress of whatever! By arguing with me you are wasting valuable time! Either let me get Oracle out of here to a place they can't find her so you can go back to your little Chess based organization or risk losing both of your free wills to an evil God!" Washu yelled.

The doors and windows smashed open. Several people with silver helmets on barged into the room. Kiyone started to fire shots at the men and women descending on the group.

"Anti-Life justifies our actions!" the Justifiers cried as one.

"You all go, I have sensitive material here that I need to destroy before it gets into their hands! I'll handle Black Canary and Green Arrow before I head back!" Mister Terrific told the group.

"But Michael..." Barbara started.

"Look, I need to teleport to Checkmate anyway! It's my duty as White King. Don't worry about me Oracle, that crazy girl might find something we overlooked! Keep me in the loop!"

Katsuhito looked at Mister Terrific. "I'll help you hold them off. Ladies, go!" The elderly Japanese man took a wooden sword from his side and started to attack the waves of Justifiers. Washu looked on in horror and admiration at the action and set to work.

"I need a moment to reconnect to the lab's subspace dimension. Kiyone, draw them away as best as you can! Mihoshi, don't touch ANYTHING!" Washu ordered.

Mihoshi turned around and started to run over to the them. "Okay Miss Washu! I won't...wahhhh!" Mihoshi screamed as she fell down. She hit a metal table, which rolled into several Justifiers. It hit one of them in the head, knocking his helmet off his head. The helmet flew in the air and landed near the blonde. She picked it up and stared at it. "Huh? Oh, I should hold on to this!"

By this point Washu opened her subspace door. "Get in! I don't know how long we have so please familiarize yourself with the Hakubi evacuation procedure!"

The Justifiers continued to pour into the room. Katsuhito was doing everything he could to stop them from coming. Suddenly, he looked very calm and sullen. "Mister Terrific, do what you must. This is not my fight to win." With that, the former Juraian prince gave everything he got to give his friends the time they needed to escape. One simple kick later, Mister Terrific, who had been fiddling with the controls to a teleportation chamber, was thrust into it and was immediately sent away to the coordinates that he had plugged in. Kiyone, catching Katsuhito's idea, shot the controls of the machine, disabling all of the inhabitants from following the third smartest man on the Earth.

Oracle looked at the chaos descending upon her and made her choice internally. 'This isn't a good idea, but what choice do I have at this point?' She rolled herself into the door. Close behind, she heard the sounds of Kiyone's gun and a giant "No!" Though she longed to look back, Barbara Gordon knew it was better to move on before she would begin to doubt herself, or worse become a Justifier.

The red headed woman looked around this new unknown place. There did not appear to be any legitimate walls in this lab. It seemed to just...exist. There were various machines that scattered the plane, but Barbara did not know how they got here, or where "here" was. She wheeled herself around, taking in everything she could. For just one fleeting moment, the Red Skies and the Anti-Life Equation left her mind and the inner child in Barbara emerged.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" the voice of Washu asked.

The three Japanese-esque women had entered the lab, sweaty and panting. Mihoshi was wailing like a baby, clutching something like a teddy bear, and Kiyone looked like a ghost.

"Where is your friend?" Barbara asked.

"He...he didn't make it. They got him," Washu said bitterly.

Barbara gave them a look of remorse. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. There will be a happy ending to this story. I swear it," Washu bit her lip. "We owe it to Lord Tenchi."

"Is Tenchi the mutual friend you all were mentioning before?" Barbara asked.

Kiyone nodded and slunk to the floor. "Damn it, we are better than this Mihoshi! The Galaxy Police have faced worse threats than this; why can't we get a hold of the rest of the squad?!"

"Time," Washu started. "It is in flux on this planet. I don't know how he did it, but roughly four weeks have passed in the time we entered the subspace lab initially to the time we entered the Hall of Justice. If my calculations are correct, the rest of the Galaxy has only experienced maybe three days at most."

"How is that possible?" Kiyone asked.

Washu shrugged. "Hell if I know."

"So am I right in assuming this is another dimension like the Phantom Zone or a pocket universe?" Barbara inquired, wanting to get these kinds of questions out of the way fast.

Smiling, Washu brought up a holographic display of several different layers of reality. "What you see here is a dimensional map. We are presently in a subspace lab I created. It borrows one of your pocket dimensions and bends it to my will."

Barbara blinked at this development. "Wait, you CREATED this dimension? You didn't find it?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" the scientist laughed. "Didn't Superman's father create the Phantom Zone back on Krypton?"

"Miss Washu, how did you know that?" Kiyone asked. "I thought Mihoshi was the only one with any familiarity with Earth heroes."

"I hacked into her boss' computer," Washu said, pointing at Barbara.

"What?!" Barbara was floored. "How did...?"

"It was simple really. I have technology that far surpasses anything developed by human hands. Your boy Wayne had some serious roadblocks in his system, but without you or his butler at the other end enabling protocols beyond the ones in place already, I managed to read it like a book."

Observing the angry look on Oracle's face, Washu sighed. "Look, I could care less about your secret identities or anything like that. What does the greatest scientific genius in the universe need with Batman or Superman or even Ambush Bug? Hell, when this Crisis is over I'll help strengthen the system. I needed to research Darkseid and your 'Bat-Computer' was the easiest way to do it."

"Thanks...I suppose," Barbara grumbled. 'I do not trust this woman one bit. If she were to ever change her mind...'

"Mihoshi, stop gripping your gun like it's a pillow and get up off the floor!" Kiyone berated.

Wiping away her tears, Mihoshi looked up at the three women. "I'm not holding my gun Kiyone! I'm holding this thing!"

The blonde haired woman showed the group what she had been cradling: a familiar silver helmet. Washu and Barbara's jaws metaphorically hit the floor.

"That's a Justifier Helmet!" Barbara cried.

"If we can study it and figure out how to cancel out the Equation..." Washu started.

"We can save the Earth!" The two ladies of technology exclaimed at the same time.

Kiyone couldn't help but give Mihoshi a hug. "Do you have any idea what you have just done Mihoshi?"

Thinking for a moment, Mihoshi shook her head. "Uh, no not really."

"You have given us the advantage we need to beat the Gods! You're a hero Mihoshi!"

With that, Mihoshi's sniffling for Katsuhito changed into crying tears of joy: tears that hopefully will signal the return of miracles and the fall of evil.


	5. No Need for Solutions

Ch. 5: No Need for Solutions

In the depths of Washu's subspace lab, the pink haired scientist worked as hard as she could to reverse engineer the Justifier helmet that was grabbed by Mihoshi. Barbara Gordon watched and assisted as best as she could, but the technology she was utilizing was overwhelmingly advanced.

"Any luck with re routing the signal back in a way that won't subject us to the Equation?" Barbara asked, passing Washu what appeared to be an advanced screwdriver.

"No dice. I think if we find a symbol or a signal that can disrupt it, we may be able to listen to it without falling under. The biggest concern is actually testing it out without succumbing. It will be difficult to do..." Washu answered while tinkering with the helmet.

"Is there anything I can do to help Miss Washu?" Mihoshi yelled at the other end of the lab. Washu had created an artificial barrier to prevent Mihoshi from interfering Washu's workspace.

Washu regarded her and waved her arms around wildly. "No...no thank you Mihoshi! You are helping by standing right there! Keep doing just that and we will be great!"

"Aww," Mihoshi said dejectedly.

"Did you end up trying to contact that Mister Terrific guy yet Barbara?" Kiyone asked. "It couldn't hurt to reach out. He might have some information about the state of the planet."

The red haired woman turned to Washu. "Can they track us back here if Checkmate had fallen?"

Laughing, Washu shook her head. "Please, my subspace lab is untraceable by Earth's technology. It couldn't hurt to find out how they are doing."

Nodding, Oracle wheeled herself over to the computer outside the barrier. "I'm actually going to try the Batcave first. I'm not sure if Alfred is safe...I already know my dad has fallen," she noted with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Do what you must. Hmm...these numbers might mean something..." Washu muttered to herself.

Barbara was curious about her findings, but was resolved to reach anybody on the outside. "This is Oracle reaching out to Batcave central. Batcave, are you stable?"

There was no answer. Barbara waited and sighed. It seemed that all hope was lost in that front. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Kiyone's smiling face. "Don't worry Barbara; they'll be okay."

"I know. I've learned from the best to keep these kind of things out of focus at times like this."

Just then, an odd sound came out of the computer. It wasn't a sentence, but kind of a verbal stutter. "*tt* The cripple made it out of the fire," came the voice from the other side. A picture soon followed and it showcased a young boy of around nine with black hair. He was wearing a red and yellow costume with a cape and a domino mask. Barbara did a double take when she saw life...which then turned to a sigh when she realized who it was.

"Damian, why are you wearing a Robin costume?" Barbara asked.

"Who's Damian?" Kiyone asked Mihoshi. She shrugged, clearly curious to see who this child was.

"That fool Drake got himself caught by those Justifiers. There is an opening for the role and who better to fill it than Batman's son? Besides, Mother left me here after Father's run in with the Black Glove so it is time for me to claim my birthright," Damian laughed pompously.

"What?! Batman has a son?! Amazing!" Mihoshi squealed.

"Gordon, what drivel are you associating with now? For that matter where are you anyway?" Damian asked with disgust.

"Not important pipsqueak. Where's Alfred? Is he okay?"

The boy pointed off-screen. "Pennyworth? He's fine and upstairs checking the grounds. Surely you realized Father was prepared for anything, including an identity-destroying virus that infected the Internet. Speaking of, have you or your Justice League fools received any word about Father?"

Barbara shook her head. "No; we were hoping to have heard something from Alfred. Is he coming back anytime soon?"

"*tt*, how should I know?"

"Hey!" Washu suddenly shouted. "Since the Internet is down, do any of you know if the fraction '10/6' has any significant meaning? It's embedded in the helmet but it doesn't seem to serve any purpose."

The wannabe Boy Wonder laughed. "Seriously Gordon, where do you find these academically challenged fools? Have you never opened a book before woman?"

The comment caused the scientist to burn with anger. She walked right over to the screen and pointed her finger at the boy. "Listen here kid, I don't think you know who you are talking to. I am Washu, the greatest scientific mind in the universe! I have created several inventions in over 20,000 years and have even rewrote physics a few times! How dare you question my academic credentials, especially at your age!"

"I'm sorry, I can't take you and your ridiculous pink hair seriously," Damian retorted back.

Mihoshi, who was hanging on every word that was said, snapped her fingers. "Hey, I know what '10/6' is from! It's the little card on the Mad Hatter's hat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! Noboyuki owns it and I read it back when we were living with Tenchi! I liked that book!"

Barbara processed her statement and nodded. "You're right Mihoshi. This has Jervis Tetch written all over it."

Damian grunted in disgust. "You mean to tell me that an idiot with a fascination with children's literature is responsible for the destruction of humanity's free will? Madness."

"He was probably used by whoever is leading the 'Secret Society' this time. I doubt it's Luthor, since he values his own mind too much..." Barbara trailed off.

"Master Damian, what are you doing?! Get away from the monitor, you don't know what is out there!" came a British voice on the other end of the call. An elderly gentleman walked into view and stared at the group. A smile lit his face as he raised his white gloves hand to his mouth.

"Miss Gordon! Bless my soul; I'm thrilled to see that you are okay!" the man told Barbara.

Barbara sighed in relief. "I'm fine Alfred! I was worried about you!"

"Nonsense Miss Gordon. We Pennyworths have handled far more than a simple virus. By chance have..." Alfred started before Barbara shook her head.

"We have reason to believe Bruce was taken hostage by the New Gods," Barbara said bitterly.

"Ah, so they'll be in for a nasty shock, won't they?" Alfred said with a weary smile.

With that, Damian pushed his way into the picture. "Gordon, are you mad?! You called father 'Bruce!' If you weren't already bound to a wheelchair I would..."

"It's okay Damian," Barbara sighed, ignoring the boy's uncalled for comment. "They know. These people hacked into the Bat-Computer and found out everything..." 'As much as I hate it.'

"Good lord! That's unheard of!" Alfred remarked.

"How dare they?!" Damian roared.

Washu yawned and shot the gentlemen a look that said "Really? Right now?" "Look, I don't have time for this. Oracle, if you want these two here, I can open a doorway and they can be safe. Otherwise, can we get back to our job? The world ain't saving itself!"

"More people?" Kiyone asked. "Is that a good idea Washu?"

She threw her arms in the air. "How should I know; I can't even think in my own lab...Mihoshi for all that is sacred and holy DO NOT TOUCH MY CLONING DEVICE!"

The blonde haired detective was inches away from banging into a machine that had two pods. Washu ran over to get her away. At the same time, Damian was laughing.

"This is the great genius who hacked Father's files? The only other person who has done that was Grandfather! These people are imbeciles!"

"You aren't helping brat!" Washu retorted.

"Who are you calling a brat you harlot! I demand you teleport me there at once so I may show you the night of Batman's son!" Damian growled.

Alfred put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Master Damian, I don't think that..."

It was too late. Washu started to type on her computer and suddenly a door opened. From outside came the boy and the butler. Alfred, frazzled at the lab, took in the sights. Damian, however, was far more narrow-minded.

"Pink haired wench; you dare disrespect me!"

Washu hopped over to Oracle. "Listen, let me take care of small and brooding. Why don't you call Mister Terrific to see if he has made any headway."

Sensing the oncoming tension, Barbara nodded and started typing numbers and letters into the computer.

As the commotion began, Alfred Pennyworth walked over to Mihoshi and Kiyone. He extended his hand out. "This has been a most peculiar time indeed. We have not yet been introduced Ms...?"

Kiyone accepted his hand and smiled. "Makibi. Kiyone Makibi, First Class Detective in the Galaxy Police. The blonde is my partner, Mihoshi Kuramitsu."

"Hello! It's such and honor to meet Batman's butler! That is probably the best job ever!" Mihoshi squealed.

Alfred chuckled lightly. "That it is Miss Kuramitsu. I assume your Galaxy Police are similar to the Green Lantern Corps?"

"Similar, except we weren't chosen by some kind of power ring," Kiyone explained. "You didn't think the universe was patrolled only by guys in green spandex did you?"

"I must confess I never gave it much thought. I tend to consider myself more grounded than most of Master Bruce's associates. What about the other one; the one who is verbally sparring Master Damian? Does she work for the police as well?"

The two sensible adults looked at the pair of people fighting.

"You cow; you think I believe any of your stories about your lifespan? Even Grandfather was only 500 years old before my aunt killed him prior to his own resurrection!"

"Sure that isn't some terrible story your mama told you to keep you from wetting the bed, domino boy?"

"I'll have your hide for that!"

"Please, that's the most action you'll see in your life!"

Sighing, Kiyone rubbed her temples. "Would you believe she used to be a Galactic Academy scientist?"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "You don't say? I suppose she was the one to hack the Bat-Computer?"

"The very same."

"Master Bruce won't be happy that his equipment was breached, but I believe that desperate times call for desperate measures," Alfred explained.

"Everybody, come here NOW!" Oracle yelled suddenly. "That means you Damian!"

The various groups of people made their way over to the screen. Mister Terrific was in frame as was a young man in a brightly colored costume. Behind them were a variety of heroes, all in their own colorful outfits. The only thing they all had in common was the strange markings on their face.

"Oh my, it's the Super Young Team! This is amazing!" Mihoshi told the group.

"We don't care right now Mihoshi," Kiyone scolded. "What's this about?"

Oracle pointed at the screen. "You know how we were hypothesizing that a counter symbol could exist to undo Darkseid's Omega transmissions? Shilo Norman, the current Mister Miracle there, has found the symbol! It's the Anti-Omega! This is our key to beating the Anti-Life Equation!"

Washu took everything in. "So that marking prevents you from having your free will taken away?"

"It does," Mister Terrific replied from Checkmate. "It's a weapon left by Metron, one of the remaining good New Gods."

"Fascinating! Between this and the discovery that the Justifier Helmets are built by utilizing your Mad Hatter's technology, we can develop a means of turning off the radio broadcast and return the planet to the way it was!" Washu cheered.

"*tt* You presume too much pest," Damian mocked. "How do you know the symbol will work? I'm not about to take the word of a circus clown and call it a day!"

"Who are you calling a circus clown?! We are all super cool! Most Excellent Superbat can vouch for Mr. Miracle!" said one of the Super Young Team.

"Superbat?! You mock my father..."

"As much as it pains me, the runt's right. We need a control to test our hypothesis before we lose ourselves to the Equation..." Washu started, tapping her forehead.

"What do you suggest Miss Hakubi?" Alfred asked.

She paused and then smiled. "Anyone have a carrot?"


	6. No Need for a Guinea Pig

Ch. 6: No Need for a Guinea Pig

"Are you sure this will work Miss Hakubi?" Alfred asked Washu upon returning from stately Wayne Manor with several carrots. Washu had enlisted the butler's aid by sending him back through her inter-dimensional to raid his kitchen for vegetables.

"Very much so. Ryo-Ohki is the only one at the house right now. Though I have temporarily severed the link from my lab to the house, I have been monitoring them as best as I could," she explained. "It seems that those tainted by the Anti-Life Equation are sent to work at some kind of labor job to 'Die in Darkseid's name!' or some crap like that. That just leaves our little cabbit friend.

"A cat-rabbit hybrid from outer space that eats carrots? I can't be the only person here to find that scenario preposterous!" Damian complained.

"You are standing in the middle of another dimension in the presence of aliens who are older than our entire planet," Barbara pointed out to her former boss' son. "You pick the animal of all things to question?"

"*TT* What do you know Gordon?" Damian scoffed.

"Enough chatter from the peanut gallery!" Washu snapped. "I don't know how long we have alone before the others get back. If Ryoko or Ayeka return, we will be in major trouble! As highly as you perceive yourself to be Mister Wayne, I do not wish for you to experience the full might of a wanted space pirate or a Jurian princess."

"What's the matter Hakubi: afraid to see me massacre your little menagerie of alien freaks? I'll sneak into the shack and get the rodent without an issue," he boasted.

"Master Damian, I'm not sure if…"

"Let him be Mr. Pennyworth," Kiyone cut him off. "If his boasting has any merit, it will be worth it. If not, then he learns a valuable lesson."

Washu laughed. "Spoken like a true cop!"

"I can help!" Mihoshi offered.

The Boy Wonder laughed. "Please, a blonde ditz like you will only get in my way!" With that, Damian opened up the newly created door and disappeared from the lab.

Mihoshi started to sniffle. "I was only trying to help!" Her crying was met with a handkerchief provided by Alfred.

"There, there. I must apologize for Master Damian. He lacks any proper guidance from a strong parental figure. His mother…well Talia Al Ghul was never a nurturing woman," Alfred consoled.

"Would anyone be mad if I left him there?" Washu asked in a completely serious voice.

"WASHU! He might be a brat but you can't do that!" Kiyone yelled.

"I'm kidding! Seriously…" Washu said.

"Were you?" Oracle asked her, eyeing her suspiciously. "It didn't sound like you were joking."

"Hey, we need the runt. Without him, we can't get Ryo-Ohki. Without Ryo-Ohki, we can't test out our Anti-Anti Life symbol. Without that, we are screwed and damned to this pocket dimension while the universe collapses in on itself."

Oracle never dropped her stern gaze, but gave a small nod. "How logical."

"Can we get a video of the house to watch Damian?" Mihoshi asked, wiping away a tear from her eye.

Washu punched some buttons on her air computer. "Give me half a moment Mihoshi. Let's see what we can find…"

In moments, the image of Tenchi's living room appeared. It seemed to be unoccupied and was a bit disheveled. Apparently the occupants did not care that much for cleanliness; only to serve Darkseid. Washu flipped from vantage point to vantage point, searching for some sign of either Damian or Ryo-Ohki.

"That's funny; I can't find either of them…" Washu muttered.

"Wait; go back to that other screen!" Kiyone interrupted. "Look! There is something going on outside that window!"

"Let's increase the image by 50% and clear up the image," Washu said to herself. Her furious typing picked up an alarming pace. Even to a trained eye like Barbara, it was impossible to see anything but a blur.

"Is that…smoke?" Kiyone gasped.

Washu blinked then hit herself in the head. "That fool, he let her outside! That means only one thing…"

The group looked on as Damian ran past the window at an alarming speed. Trailing behind him was various blasts of red energy. A giant shadow engulfed the house but whatever was chasing him was out of the computer's view.

"What is happening Miss Hakubi?" Alfred asked; worry breaking through his tough, proper English façade.

"Ryo-Ohki has gone and turned herself into a spaceship."

Alfred nodded. "Well, that would explain why she was out of frame." He paused for a moment and considered what she just told him. "Hold on, did you say 'spaceship?'"

"She did," Kiyone answered, looking intently at the screen. "Her species has the ability to alter their bodies to become spiked spacecrafts."

"That makes no logical sense!" Oracle countered. "Why would there exist a creature that can adjust their body mass over 100 times their original size and change their internal structures enough to not only house another living thing but to become a completely sentient star ship?!"

"Miss Gordon, in the past several years we have met a Martian from Mars, evil Gods, magicians, a woman who can grow several times her own height, a princess born from clay, and no less than three people whose body structure has been altered into living clay. It would stand to reason that such creatures that defy the laws of physics exist in the galaxy," Alfred reasoned. "Still, the fact that the spaceship in question eats carrots is a tad comical, if must say."

Barbara blinked. She looked from Alfred to the untouched tray of carrots that he brought back from Wayne Manor. She began to hang her head in frustration. "Damain didn't grab any of the carrots at all, did he?"

Mihoshi happily skipped over to the table. "Oh, I'll bring them to him!" She grabbed two of them and walked through the door.

"That boy is so stubborn. I'll…wait, what did Mihoshi just say?" Washu said, realization dawning upon her. "Oh crap."

"Blast it Mihoshi; you are going to get yourself killed! I'll go get her!" Kiyone said, running to the door. Washu got up and blocked her way.

"Let's just watch first before we act. I don't want to half of us to be under Darkseid's sway if she fails."

The group watched the monitor as Mihoshi waltzed into the picture. She took a moment to take off her shoes while walking through the house. When she reached the door, she put them back on and slid it open.

"You have to love Mihoshi. Even in the face of danger, she still acts respectful in Tenchi's house!" Washu laughed.

"She moved out of frame. Is there a better view of outside?" Kiyone asked, worried for her partner.

The pink haired genius shook her head. "This is the best view I have. Damn it, I wish we could hear what was going on out there!"

All eyes were on the screen. The room was so quiet that a pin dropping to the floor could be heard. Finally, Mihoshi and Damian returned into the view. Mihoshi was carrying a small brown pile of fur. Washu stared at the screen dumbstruck and Kiyone wiped sweat off of her forehead.

The door reopened and the unlikely duo entered the subspace lab. Damian, whose cape was singed a bit at the end, did not look pleased.

"I told you I was more than capable of handling the beast! You should have told me she could become a flying weapon! I was unprepared for the challenge!" Damian growled. He shot a look to a smirking Barbara Gordon. "Make one joke Gordon and I'll tear your eyes out."

Mihoshi handed Ryo-Ohki to Washu. "Here you go Miss Washu! She's very angry, but she seems to be okay for now!"

Washu studied the creature. 'It's true that her posture is far more defensive than any other time I have seen her, but the carrots that Mihoshi gave her have made her temporarily docile. You can take the free will away, but the soul is still in there, unable to act. Fascinating development…' "Good job Mihoshi! Barbara, would you mind handing me the Justifer helmet and our notes from what Mister Terrific told us?"

"No problem," Barbara wheeled herself to the table and went to work with Washu. As this was going on, Alfred came over to Mihoshi and patted her on the back.

"A fine display of bravery Miss Kuramitsu. I must thank you for assisting Master Damian…even if he is too stubborn to thank you himself."

Mihoshi just smiled and laughed. "It was nothing! I just wanted to give Damian the carrots he forgot!"

Alfred smiled. "Well, remember this: today you saved Robin, the Boy Wonder. That makes you just as much of a hero as even Master Bruce."

With that, Mihoshi fainted to the floor, her life seemingly fulfilled.

*TGSTGE*

"Ok Ryo-Ohki, this inhibitor collar should prevent you from transforming into your spaceship form. Time to see what we can do here..." Washu Hakubi said, placing a metal clamp around the small animal's head. Her eyes were pure red and her face was snarling at her pink haired friend. "Barbara, are you ready to save the world?"

The bespectacled red head couldn't help but give the briefest of smiles at the woman's enthusiasm. 'She's growing on me. I can't believe it...damn it!' She thought to herself, seemingly both relieved and annoyed at the situation. "As ready as I'll ever be Washu."

"Good. Let's begin the close circuit camera and monitor the progress!" Washu said, flicking a switch. "Experiment 11381977 from the genius Washu Hakubi!"

"You can do it Washu!" Her doll popped up from her shoulder.

"You can do no wrong!" The other chimed in.

"Are they quite done?" Barbara asked, her temporary relief turning to displeasure.

Washu shot her a look and continued. "The subject, henceforth referred to as Ryo-Ohki, has been subjugated to the identity destroying virus known as the Anti-Life Equation. My colleague, Miss Barbara Gordon, and I will attempt to break the effect the Equation has on Ryo-Ohki and, with luck, all of those affected on Earth."

Washu scurried over to the table where the Justifer helmet was lying down. She picked it up and again addressed her camera. "This is known as a Justifer helmet. Though Apokoliptian design, it was created using technology and concepts developed by a Jervis Tetch, known on this planet as 'The Mad Hatter.' This is critical as it's method of transmitting the aforementioned Equation can be remotely blocked. I further hypothesize that the origins of the transmission can be tracked once proper precautions are in place."

The pink haired scientist moved herself to the area where Ryo-Ohki was restrained and put the helmet on her entire body. "The subject is too small for it to be placed purely on her head, but on a typical human or humanoid being, it would do just that. The helmet is playing a constant loop of the Anti-Life Equation, thus perpetuating this state of forced living. For my first test, Miss Gordon and I will attempt to draw this 'Life Symbol' discovered by Shilo Norman, the current Mister Miracle, on the helmet itself to see if it will cancel out the symbol by the sheer virtue of its existence. I believe it is an old letter from the writings of the Source Wall, though I cannot confirm it given my own limited research of its design and function. Take it away!"

Looking around to see what she was referring to , Barbara understood that it was her turn to do something on camera. She made a mental note to confiscate and edit every trace of her out of the video. She understood why this was necessary, but did not feel comfortable being so…overt. "I will attempt to draw the 'Life Symbol' now. As you can see, the subject is still writhing around in pain. This leads me to believe that the symbol will need to be applied to the subject directly."

Washu frowned and pulled off the metallic helmet. As Oracle hypothesized, Ryo-Ohki was still showing all of the symptoms of being under Darkseid's control. "A fair observation and sadly one that is confirmed. We will now attempt to draw the symbol onto Ryo-Ohki's skin…err fur directly. The writing utensil please?"

After having the permanent marker handed to her, Washu began to draw the symbol onto Ryo-Ohki's head. Every stroke was met with a struggle of resistance. When the final piece of the symbol was drawn, the struggling stopped. The symbol which covered her face shone a bright blue and the red in her eyes disappeared. Her posture switched from one of pure defense to one of tranquility. The cabbit looked around at the unfamiliar image of Barbara Gordon and the familiar image of Washu Hakubi and meowed happily. It was only then that she realized the metal clamp binding her. She started to cry as she tried to rip it off.

"Amazing!" Barbara exclaimed. "It worked! It actually worked!"

Washu ran over and checked over the cabbit. "Her vitals have all returned to normal! This is looking good! All that is left is one final test…"

"The Justifer helmet?" Barbara asked solemnly. Her question was met with a nod. The woman handed over the helmet to the 20,000 year old genius and braced herself as it was placed over Ryo-Ohki's body one final time.

The cabbit startled to struggle. Washu and Barbara held their breath, not knowing if the Equation was working again or if she was merely trying to get out of the helmet. Miraculously, it proved to be the later. Ryo-Ohki was back to normal.

Shilo Norman's New God weapon worked.

Washu proceeded to rip Ryo-Ohki out of the machine and hugged her body until she was begging for release. "I knew you would be okay girl! Barbara, we did it!"

"This is amazing!" Barbara Gordon exclaimed, her internal misgivings of the whole affair completely dissipating. "But now we need to test it on a human itself. Ryo-Ohki is extraterrestrial in origin. We have no way of knowing if it will work on the rest of humanity."

The sentence gave Washu a sharp jolt. She looked at the red head sitting in front of her, knowing that she was right and had overlooked that crucial detail. "We need a human test subject then…don't we?"

Barbara wheeled herself over to a reflective piece of equipment. She began to draw the 'Life Symbol' on her face. When she finished, she grabbed the Justifier helmet. "If this doesn't work Hakubi, just know you aren't as annoying as I thought you were." With that she put the helmet on her head, subjugating herself to the full force of the Anti-Life Equation.

"BARBARA!" Washu yelled frantically.

The genius scientist was nervous. If Oracle had succumbed and Metron's gift to humanity failed, the world and eventually the universe would be damned to Darkseid's will for its entire existence. Conversely, this might be humanity's greatest moment; showcasing the triumph of humanity's own will over the subjugation of those who would oppress it.

This moment will define the course of the entire galaxy and it was happening in the laboratory of a pink haired scientist from beyond the stars.


	7. No Need for Antonyms

Ch. 7: No Need for Antonyms

Washu held her breath. The moment seemed like it would never end. For the first time in what seemed to be eons, Washu began to doubt her own scientific ability. This realm of gods was not something that Washu was used to. She was no goddess; she was merely a scientist (a damn good scientist, but a scientist nevertheless.) If she failed, the kind soul that was Barbara Gordon would be lost forever.

Lost to Darkseid.

Finally, a blue glow appeared from under the Justifer helmet. The formerly lifeless arms of Barbara Gordon started to move. She ripped off the helmet and threw it to the ground. Behind her glasses, Barbara gave a determined look to her genius companion.

"Consider the 'Life Symbol' proven Hakubi. Hypothesis confirmed," Barbara said confidently, the blue glow of the symbol fading.

"I…I can't believe it! We have a God Weapon in our possession! How does it counteract the Anti-Life Equation? How does the brain know that the skin has the markings on it? This raises so many questions!" Washu started to prattle off.

"We can discuss logistics later. Right now, we need to put this on everyone's faces. I managed to listen to the full Anti-Life Equation without being affected. We need to counter each step of mathematical formula to create the full 'Life Equation.' When we do that, I think we will be safe to transmit it on the same frequency as the Anti-Life Equation." Barbara told her. Washu nodded her head and collected Ryo-Ohki, who was "meowing" at the pair.

*TGSTGE*

"So by wearing this 'New God Life Pattern' we will be safe from Darkesid's plans? I still can't wrap my brain around that," Kiyone admitted while examining Ryo-Ohki.

"Well stop thinking about it because the proof is in your hands! It worked for Ryo-Ohki and it worked for Barbara. As a scientist, I'm convinced. There is a lot we still do not understand (and honestly, without a New God I'm not sure we will), but what we DO know is the actual Equation itself! Before I bring it it, please apply the Symbol to your head thank you!" Washu said curtly.

Damian gagged a bit. "I feel like a buffoon!"

"That's because you are a buffoon," Washu muttered.

"What was that you cow?"

The scientist whistles innocently. "I didn't say nuttin! Barbara, are you ready to show us the formula?"

Barbara grabbed a piece of chalk from a chalkboard Washu willed into existence. She began to write a rather lengthy mathematical proof. Finally the board was filled with the following phrases:

"loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷ mockery ÷ condemnation ÷ misunderstanding × guilt × shame × failure × judgment n=y where y=hope and n=folly, love=lies, life=death, self=dark side"

The group stared at the words and processed what they meant. After a lengthy period of time, Alfred was the first to regain his voice.

"If I am to understand this correctly, the first portion of the Equation is meant to bring emotional turmoil to the reader while the second half proves the futility of resisting Darkseid himself. Interesting...this raises the question that if this was the natural state of the Equation, was it brought into existence by Darkseid living or did the Equation sure Darkseid to be its prophet?"

"Fascinating notion Pennyworth. The alternative is that the Equation was manipulated by Darkeid when he finally obtained it," Washu posited.

"Am I supposed to understand any of this?" Mihoshi asked innocently.

"No, I don't think you are Mihoshi," Kiyone sighed. "Don't feel too bad. I only barely get what they are talking about."

"Long story short, we need to either paint every person's face with the New God symbol or we need to break this down and create an alternative Equation to restore the planet's free will. Any ideas?" Washu asked.

"Well," Kiyone said, thinking about it. "We are trying to do opposites, aren't we? The first part would be love plus friends plus bravery plus happiness plus self worth right?"

Barbara nodded. "That sounds about right. Anyone else have any ideas?"

"Oh! The opposite of mocking is complimenting! And freedom comes after that!" Mihoshi chimed in.

"Following that train of thought, the next steps would be understanding, innocence, pride, success, and acceptance," Alfred thought intently. "This is all starting to come together to make sense!"

The genius scientist continued to scribble everything down as fast as she could. "Don't stop guys, you are doing great!"

"That leaves the equalities then," Barbara said simply. "Hope would then equal wisdom..."

"And love would equal truth..." Washu added. "...While life would have to be paired with birth!"

"So self would equal free will!" The two ladies spoke aloud at the same time.

"Why not 'light side?'" Mihoshi asked. "Wouldn't that make more sense?"

"Because free will is the whole point of a Life Equation," Barbara explained. "Darkseid's will was the purpose of the Anti-Life Equation. It stands to reason that it would mean just that."

Damian, who had been silent up until this moment, just groaned. "Now that you have finished your antonym game, can we address the bigger question?"

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Washu asked.

"How are you going to get this silly Equation broadcasted? Our Batcomputer was over a secure channel and you claimed you contacted Checkmate through that Undernet that Kuttler developed. That won't reach every person on the planet. Did any of you even consider that?"

Blinking, the occupants of the room looked at each other. It was apparent that this part of the plan was not fully thought all the way through. Realization dawned upon each of them. In order to save the world, one of them would have to take the journey into hell and face the source of the red sky crisis. Someone would have to go to Bludhaven, where the Anti-Life Equation was transmitted from and where, no doubt, Darkseid was waiting. Finally, it was Washu that spoke.

"Shit."


	8. No Need for the God of Evil

Ch 8. No Need for the God of Evil

The acrid air of Bludhaven stung Kiyone and Washu's lungs. The two women waded their way through the destroyed American city cautiously. They knew deep down that they were probably the only two people, Earthling or otherwise, that remained unaffected by the Anti-Life Equation in the area.

"This place gives me the creeps. I have been on space pirate barges that were more inviting than this place. What happened here?" Kiyone asked as they followed Washu's tracking device.

"A bunch of criminals nuked it with a being made up of living chemicals and toxic waste. I don't know; American crime stories make no sense to me," Washu admitted. "You know, the signal is getting stronger. You didn't have to accompany me here."

Kiyone kept moving on, determined as ever. "Please, I wasn't about to let you come here alone and I was not about to let the kid make a move."

"I knew he would try to follow us. He's almost as stubborn as Ryoko," Washu conceded.

"That's why you opened your door first to Wayne Manor and then to this godforsaken place?" Kiyone asked.

"Precicely. Odds are, Damian ran after us and is presently trapped in Wayne manor with no way out. Our doorway was sealed immediately. I was not about to let a child, no matter whose son he is, anywhere near this place," Washu said as her device started to make a sound. "It seems like the origination of the Anti-Life Equation came from that bunker down there. Are you up for the task First Class Detective Makibi?"

The green haired GXP officer nodded. "I've got your back. Let's get in and out before anyone notices we are here…hold it!" Kiyone said suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

"A better question is did you FEEL that?" Washu retorted. "It's like a miniature earthquake coming from the other side of the city. Get a good hiding spot and take cover!"

The two took refuge under separate piles of rubble. Washu peered out of the rocks to see a most interesting sight. It seemed like several different women were patrolling the city along with what appeared to be giant dogs. Of note, one of them was a literal giantess; no doubt the source of the aforementioned tremors. The leader, however, sported a costume that was familiar to the genius scientist. 'It's Wonder Woman…the princess of the Amazons!' she thought to herself. 'Even she fell under Darkseid's thrall. This is not good…'

"Wunda!" the giant one cried out. "Something wrong!"

"All is as it should be Gigantrix," the former Wonder Woman told her. "We will continue to patrol the perimeter of Command-D. If we see something that does not conform to Darkseid's way, we will stamp it out!" She pointed to a woman with a whip who was wearing a skintight leather cat outfit. "Lashina, take the south perimeter." She then pointed to another woman in a dark outlandish outfit. "Bat Harriet, the west! I will scout the rest of the city. Gigantrix, guard Command-D. Kill any hero that tries to enter it!"

"Gigantrix will stomp!"

The various women departed leaving only the giant red head as the only obstacle between Washu, Kiyone, and Darkseid.

"What are we supposed to do about that woman?!" Kiyone asked quietly, clearly in a panic. "She is five times our height!"

"Did you not notice her speech pattern? Either she was an idiot before this Equation hit or she was dumbed down significantly. She is all brawn and no brains. Thankfully, you and I have plenty of brains between the two of us."

Kiyone shot her a look. "Okay Washu, what's your great plan?"

The pink haired woman considered it for a moment. "Well given how tall she is, we might be able to sneak right by her."

"If that doesn't work?"

"How the hell should I know?! I'm a genius, not a strategist!" Washu roared.

"What that?" the woman bellowed.

The two girls blinked and gulped. "I hate you Washu," Kiyone muttered.

The scientist and the cop ran for their lives and they passed underneath the woman's legs. The woman squatted down and tried to grab them, but her slow movements allowed them to get by without a scratch. They moved as fast as they could, reaching the door to the underground bunker that Gigantrix was trying to protect. As they closed the door, they could hear the woman scream in frustration.

"The run deperatly technique," Washu panted. "A key part in any crappy escape plan."

"Funny, they didn't teach us that one at the academy," Kiyone sighed, clutching her chest. "So what next fearless leader?"

Washu collected herself and looked around. The hallways were sterile and dark. There did not appear to be a single living person around them. She motioned to keep moving along the winding passage. The two women passed cages that were empty and every now and then found a dead body. Kiyone looked mortified at the death and despair accumulating around her, but Washu pressed on. If she was feeling any sense of disgust, she kept it to herself.

Further down the hallway, they came across a separate room that was billowing smoke. Curiously, the two entered the room and were met with a most disturbing sight. Several dozen mauled naked bodies were lining the floor. The computers and machines were destroyed and broken glass lined the floor. It appeared that someone was trying to destroy all of the evidence in the room, but had failed to complete the task, Kiyone bent down to investigate.

"Judging by the trajectory of the glass, these bodies were all inside those tubes. They escaped somehow…but died. I wonder if we could…oh my god!" Kiyone gasped as she turned over one of the bodies.

Washu peered closer. The man had his own eyes ripped out of his face. It appeared as if he clawed them out himself. She then proceeded to stare intently at each of the bodies. Recognition shone on her face. "These are all clones of the same man…I think it's Bruce Wayne!"

"Wayne?" Kiyone inquired, collecting herself while studying a giant fried pink mass that was collapsed amidst the pile of corpses. "You mean Damian's father?"

"Yes. We need to let Barbara know she was right: Batman was abducted by Darkseid's minions…if I were to guess, they tried to create an army of Batman clones, but the clones would not take. These clones killed themselves…" Washu deducted. "I'd be fascinated if I weren't so repulsed."

"Repulsion is natural in Darkseid's path," a low gravelly voice bellowed. "Stop playing with toys and embrace my will."

A form limped into the doorway. It was a shirtless man who appeared to have grey skin and blood red eyes. His chest was bleeding out and a blue helmet was crowned on his head. Blood dripped from his sneering mouth. In his hands was a pistol that did not look like anything developed on the planet. Washu and Kiyone stood horrified at the sight of the god of all evil.

"Darkseid we meet at last," Washu confidently told him. Kiyone grabbed her gun and pointed it at him.

"Your weapon is useless against me. It matters not. I have been shot once already and the darkness is already beckoning my name…but I will not fall so easily. Though this frail form will wither away, I will continue to be," the darkness told them. "I admit surprise. Darkseid does not usually get visitors that he knows nothing about, though your marking betrays your purpose. Metron chose poorly if you are to be his champions in the place of Shilo Norman or even the Son of Krypton."

"I know nothing of Metron or why you would consider us to be his champions, but we are here to bring order back to the planet, "Washu retorted back. "Where is Batman? These clones are all of him, aren't they?"

Darkseid gave a hearty laugh, followed by coughing up blood. "He is dead at my hand. The Omega Sanction is the death that is life. Even Batman could not outrace it, but would you like to try? Darkseid is happy to oblige you ladies."

His threat was met with a confident laugh. "You don't scare me. I am Washu Hakubi, the greatest scientific genius in the universe! I have built galaxy destroying weapons and have had entire systems tremble at the mere mention of my name!"

"Don't goad him Washu!" Kiyone argued.

"Washu Hakubi…your hubris clouds your judgment. I have murdered this planet by merely existing. You think you can quell evil with an archaic letter from a dead civilization? I am fear personified. By attacking me you are attacking the pathetic three billion inhabitants of this planet. Darkseid is everywhere. Darkseid is your friends. Darkseid is your enemies. Darkseid is your family. Submit to me, and I can end it all. Defy me, and I will show you agony unlike any that you are familiar with. I may allow you to live to see my triumph and when your hope is diminished, perhaps then I will end your life."

"Did you write that yourself or was one of the dead bodies on the floor your speech writer?" Washu mocked him.

The Evil God's eyes burned red. "Ask yourself that in oblivion."

Suddenly, the walls began to shake. Debris fell everywhere and the bunker started to implode on itself. Darkseid looked around, momentarily confused. Washu grabbed Kiyone's hand and pushed her away from some falling concrete. Finally, a red energy beam surged through the ceiling. A man slowly flew down from the sky. He was dressed in blue spandex with a flowing red cape. He turned his eyes toward the wall and sped at lightning fast speed through it. At last, the man set himself down, carrying a corpse that he procured from his other destination.

Superman had arrived and had discovered the corpse of Batman.

"I don't know who you are, but get out of here now!" Superman barked. "This is between me and Darkseid."

"But we still have..." Kiyone started before getting cut off by Washu.

"Move Kiyone. We have our mission, he has his."

The two ran to leave the area, allowing Superman to block the path so Darkseid could not follow them. Washu pulled out the tracking device and began to follow it again. "We need to upload this thing now before those two destroy the place!"

"What is the place comes down with us in it?" Kiyone asked worryingly.

"Then we die staring evil down in the face; never backing down and never surrendering," she said grimly.

"When did you get so morbid?"

She shrugged as she ran. "I'm not, it just seemed fitting for the moment!"

At last, the two women made it to a series of computers. Cigarette ash littered the keyboards and a monitor was blinking unresponsively. Washu typed on her own screen as fast as she could, trying to revive their last chance to save humanity.

"Come on...work damn it! Work!"

The screen finally turned on. Washu pulled out her design of the "Life Equation" and scoured the browser to find the program that killed the Earth. After several tense minutes, the genius scientist pulled up something that made her cheer a silent cheer.

"This is it Kiyone...if this works we have potentially saved most of existence. If it doesn't...Darkseid wins unless Superman can stop him," Washu whispered. "With this click of the mouse, let the world survive!"

Kiyone and Washu held their breath as the screen loaded. After what seemed like an eternity, the message was sent to every technological device on the planet. The green haired woman turned to her pink haired companion. "What now? How do we know it worked?"

Washu pointed to the exit. "We get the hell out of here and see what the people are like."

The pair sprinted out as fast as they could. They could hear the voices of Superman and Darkseid verbally spar with each other. "Kill me and you'll kill everything! It is already over. The sun has set forever. There is a black hole where my heart should...wait...something has happened..."

When Kiyone and Washu made it to the origin of the sounds, they saw a most interesting sight: Superman was held back by several dozen people. Old, young, male, female, the Anti-Life Equation did not discriminate at all. In essence, all of these people were now extensions of Darkseid. All of them wanted to see Superman die.

The decrepit signs in Bludhaven began to flash with life. The signs that portrayed the Omega symbol were replaced with the New God pattern provided by Mister Miracle. The formula developed by the lone group of heroes scrolled underneath it. The various people who had grabbed Superman started to let go. It seemed like the Equation was being overwritten before their eyes.

"How did...Hakubi. You did this..." Darkseid cursed as he turned his head to where Washu and Kiyone stood. "The genius scientist and the God of Evil...you think you have won? My mere existence will damn your planet and all of life will cease to be! No matter, my time has come."

Darkseid pulled out the weapon he brandished earlier and pointed it at the pair. "From here, where he no longer exists, Orion cannot see me. All of time has become one, the time has come to strike. This radon bullet will rip your heart out Hakubi while it races back to my wayward son."

He fired his gun at Washu. She found herself unable to move. The bullet would certainly kill the 20,000 year old scientist. It was by mere chance, however, that a rift opened up directly in front of the woman. Seemingly from nowhere, two men dressed in near identical red outfits sped past Darkseid, running away from twin red beams.

"Barry Allen?" Superman whispered.

"What is that? A black knight on skis?" Kiyone asked in shock, peering into the vortex that appeared in front of them.

"It is death," Washu replied. "The Black Racer, the New God of Death."

"THE TERMINAL MOMENT IS HERE," the Racer bellowed. "I COME TO ALL! EVEN YOU!"

With that, the figure stabbed Darkseid in the chest as he fired his bullet into the void of time. It seemed that in the end, Darkseid was killed not by Superman or Washu, but by the twin blurs of the Flash, the two fastest men alive.

After conferring with the two Flashes, Superman flew over to Washu and Kiyone. "Are you two okay? I admit, I'm at a loss at who you both are. Have we ever met?"

Kiyone, who was still reeling in shock from the events that transpired moments prior. "Yeah...I mean yes...I mean no! I mean..."

"That you are okay but we never met?" Superman smiled. "Well allow me to introduce myself. I'm..."

"Superman aka Clark Kent. The Big Blue Boy Scout. The Man of Steel...the list goes on. How do you do Name's Washu Hakubi, greatest scientific mind in the galaxy. That's Kiyone Makibi, First Class Detective in the Galaxy Police."

"How did you...?" Superman asked, amazed at their knowledge of his name.

"We hacked Batman's computer. Speaking of, his son is probably trapped in Wayne Manor while Alfred and Barbara Gordon are stuck in my subspace lab...we all worked together to find the pieces of the Life Equation. Still, I don't think we are done here..." Washu said grimly, her eyes falling on the discarded corpse of the Dark Knight.

Superman understood what she meant and sighed. "No...no we are not. I invite you to bring everyone to my Fortress of Solitude. Darkseid has doomed our planet, but I can fix it. With a scientific mind like yours, you might be able to help. Interested in building a Miracle Machine?"

Washu's eyebrow raised in anticipation. "Tell me more Kal-El."


End file.
